The Billion-Dollar Marriage Contract (3 page)

Yet why did this bother him now all of a sudden?

“So how about a drink at my place?” the blonde moved closer to him until her breasts were pressed to his arm.

“Hmm...some other time, maybe? I am meeting a friend here tonight.”

The blonde pouted. “I could do things to you that no one has ever done before,” she whispered.

Nikos almost snorted. He doubted that this blonde could do anything he hadn’t experienced yet. At his age of twenty-four years, he had dated the most beautiful actresses, models who wrapped their long legs around him, ballerinas who were so flexible that they could take up the most outrageous positions, and many more.

“Sorry, sweetie. Not really in the mood right now,” Nikos answered and took another swig of his drink. The blonde pouted yet again and left the stool to search for another rich man she could dig her claws into.

“Ever the ladies man,” a deep voice drawled beside him.

Nikos chuckled and hugged his friend as he sat down on the stool that the blonde has just vacated.

“One brandy for my friend here, please,” Nikos told the bartender.

When Antonio’s drink arrived, he raised it in front of Nikos. “So what are we drinking to?”

“The end of Demakis International,” Nikos replied with a groan.

Antonio raised an eyebrow and waited for his friend to continue speaking. When Nikos did not, Antonio sighed and then downed his brandy in one gulp.

“So the old man Andrade has finally succeeded, has he?”

“Apparently,” Nikos replied
.

“Hmm...I can sense that there is
something more to this story,” Antonio prodded.

“Costas Andrade told my grandfather that he is willing to offer a merger for Demakis and Andrade Shipping.”

“No! Tell me I didn’t just hear you mention a merger!” Antonio exclaimed.

“I just did.”

“And what are the terms for this? Your grandfather’s soul?” Antonio chuckled.

“Funny. I just said the same thing. No. No souls involved. Well, actually, there is one soul dragged into all of this
- mine
.”

“How so?”

“In exchange for the merger, I have to marry Cassia Andrade.”

Nikos expected his friend to utter a string of curses, or to spit his drink or smash it onto the marble countertop after his announcement.

What he did not expect was for Antonio to say “Ahh...” like it was a very trivial thing and something that made perfect sense.

Nikos frowned and poured himself another measure of brandy.

“I can sense that you expected a different reaction from me,” Antonio said.

“Well, of course! I just told you that my grandfather wants me to marry the Andrade girl! I mean, have you seen her? Do you know her?”

Antonio raised another eyebrow. “As a matter of fact, I do. I know she is not accepted into the social circle because of her social awkwardness and her appearance. Which reminds me, where has Costas been hiding his granddaughter all these years? It’s only now that I’ve heard of an Andrade heiress.”

“Maybe she was raised in another country,” Nikos snorted

“Maybe. What I can say is she is a sweet girl. She is like a breath of fresh air from all the women who wanted to have a look at your bank account before they would pay you any notice.”

Nikos downed another drink when he realized that his friend was correct. There was truly something about Cassia Andrade that was different. She was not like the shallow girls who spent their life partying. There was meekness in her posture but there was intelligence in her gaze. Beneath all that, he could sense a strong spirit which was being overshadowed by her insecurities.

“
Hell
. I do not care,” Nikos spat and gulped another drink. The bar started to spin and his head started to throb but he did not want to stop now. Besides, getting drunk tonight was the plan.

“What is truly so wrong about marrying her? She may not be as beautiful as the others but at least she’s different.”

“I don’t want her. I want the ability to choose my bride for myself. If I had the choice, I won’t be choosing for another ten or fifteen years! Most certainly not someone like her! I love my life too much! And I would not give it up for a wife that I did not even pick! I can’t be forced to settle down right now!” Nikos exclaimed.

“I understand. But if this is the only way to save your family business...one that your ancestors worked so hard for! Is that not a small
sacrifice
to pay for your grandfather who raised you when your parents left?”

As usual, Antonio was right.

Nikos did not speak for a long while and proceeded to run his fingers through his hair.

“I do not know what to do,” he finally admitted.

“Drink on it tonight and then think about it in the morning. I think that is best for everyone. Do not make hasty decisions, my friend, especially if there is a lot that depends on that
one
decision.”

“And that is another fact I hate. I hate how the fate of Demakis International is on my shoulders. I hate how I am being forced into these circumstances.”

Antonio placed his palm on Nikos’ shoulder and squeezed. Then, he grabbed the bottle of brandy and poured them both another round.

“For now, let’s drink to that.” Nikos clinked his glass with his friend and they both downed their drinks in one gulp.

Suddenly, their drinking spree was interrupted when Nikos’ cell phone rang. He quickly retrieved it from his pocket and glared at it as if it offended him so. However, his irritation was replaced by fear when he saw that it was his grandfather’s personal assistant that was calling him.

“Nikos Demakis speaking.”

“Mr. Demakis! Thank you so much for answering!” the personal assistant who had been with his grandfather for over twenty years now and had been like a mother to Nikos sounded very frantic. Dread filled Nikos’ gut as he heard her.

“What happened?” he growled.

“Your grandfather suffered a heart attack! We are currently in the hospital right now. I found him passed out on the floor a while ago right after he talked to Costas Andrade and called the merger off. Do not worry too much. Everything’s been taken care of and doctors told me that he is stable right now.”

He used his shoulder to hold his phone to his ear while he retrieved his wallet and placed a wad of notes under his empty glass. Antonio sensed the urgency and grabbed the jacket he draped over the back of his chair.

“Has he woken up?” he asked.

“Not yet, Mr. Demakis. But the doctors say that he will be fine. They just advised us not to stress him out too much or he may have another heart attack,” Maria told him.

Nikos clenched his jaw as he walked to his car.

“I will be there in about thirty minutes,” he told Maria then ended the call. He explained the situation to Antonio as he walked back to his car.

He pulled out his keys but Antonio grabbed it from him. “You’re drunk, Nikos. I’m not. I’ll drive.”

“This is all my fault,” he groaned.

“What makes you say that?” his friend asked.

“He wouldn’t be in this condition if I wasn’t selfish enough to put my own needs before the company’s. If my grandfather never recovers from this, I will never forgive myself...”

Nikos took a deep breath. “
...Even if he recovers, I will
never
forgive Andrade.”

While Antonio drove to the hospital, Nikos came to a solid conclusion...

For his grandfather, he could do this.

He could marry the Andrade girl and settle down so that they would have their company back. Then, he would work hard to rebuild Demakis International and repay Costas for every cent his family owed. It was time to stop being selfish and own up to his responsibilities.

If that responsibility was to throw away his lavish playboy lifestyle in return for a lifetime of hard work and a bride he did not want, then so be it.

October 6, 2003
The Andrade Manor
Athens, Greece

“Get dressed.”

Costas Andrade’s voice boomed across the hallway to the library. Cassia immediately jumped and then stood up when her grandfather entered the room. She folded her book and placed it neatly on top of the table. Then she waited for the yelling that always ensued when her grandfather sought her out.

Costas’ secretary meekly followed behind him and then handed Cassia a beautiful gown made of blue silk.

“Another party, grandfather? Where am I supposed to go this time?” Cassia whispered softly.

“You are going to this party with Nikos Demakis. Now get dressed.”

“N-Nikos Demakis?” Cassia parroted.

“Are you deaf, girl? I just said that. Now hurry!”

Cassia remained rooted to the spot while she clutched the beautiful dress to her chest. Did she just truly hear her grandfather say that she was going with Nikos Demakis?

It was a dream come true!

Cassia smiled and then moved out of the room with lighter steps. She felt like floating. She even pinched herself to check that this was truly real and not a dream. After thinking about him constantly for every day since she met him, this was like a gift from the gods. She just couldn’t wait to see him again!

“Stop,” her grandfather commanded.

Cassia stopped and turned around.

“You know the Demakis boy?”

“Y-yes...” she stuttered.

“Why are you still stuttering like a fool?! Have I not paid your tutors enough?! Isn’t it enough that you still cannot grasp Greek? Now, you’re also losing control of your English?!” Costas shouted and Cassia flinched.

“I’m sorry, grandfather,” she muttered and tried hard to tamp down her fear.

“Do not call me that. Not until you have done something to make me proud to call you my granddaughter.” Once more Cassia flinched in pain at the barbs in his words.

“How did you know Demakis?”

“We met at one p-party...”

“What do you think of him?”

“Err...he’s nice...” Cassia’s voice faltered as she said the words for she remembered what Nikos did for her at the ball. He was so gallant and he came charging like her knight in shining armor when she needed someone to rescue her.

Costas Andrade snorted and looked at his granddaughter.

She had love and adoration shining in her eyes. Clearly, she was besotted with the Demakis heir just like countless women around the world. Who wouldn’t like the boy? At such a young age he was already a successful businessman with his own company and own line of businesses while at the same time helping out with controlling
Demakis Shipping
.

Costas realized that Cassia was so besotted and so naive that she’d make a great pawn in this elaborate game.

“Go and get ready,” he instructed his granddaughter.

Cassia immediately bowed her head and ducked out of the room.

She entered her own room and was not surprised anymore when her team of hairdressers and make-up artists were there waiting for her. They had already set up their equipment and were impatiently tapping their feet on the carpet.

She knew they were the best and the most expensive team but she did not like their attitude. They always treated her as though she knew nothing. They went ahead with whatever they wanted to do even if she expressed her wishes that she did not want it.

She also knew that no matter how great their skills were, she’d never be as beautiful as the other girls.

Oh well...here I go, pitying myself once more.

Cassia shook her head and tried to empty it of those negative thoughts. What was important today was that she was going to meet Nikos Demakis. That would be enough to get her through the ordeal of being poked and prodded by the set of people who used every opportunity to point out all of her flaws.

“Please sit and we shall begin,” the lead stylist told her.

Cassia sat and this was the first time she welcomed their ministrations for she truly wanted to look her best for her meeting with Nikos Demakis.

“Is this a special party, then?” Cassia asked after an hour.

She faced the tall mirror in her room and twirled around. For the first time in her life, she felt beautiful. She also felt her self-confidence rising, even if she hated that they dyed her brown hair and turned it blonde. Maybe today she could shine like all those supermodels and actresses that Nikos dated.Or maybe he was the kind of man who could look past the external.

“Who am I kidding? He’s dating supermodels so how can I say he’s the kind who looks past one’s appearance?”
Cassia muttered under her breath.

She snorted and then went back to inspecting herself in the beautiful, gilded mirror.

The team did a perfect job with her hair. It was coiled on top of her head with some loose curls framing her face and her nape. Pearls were also placed on her hair and they made her skin glow with every movement of her head.

She wore the blue dress that her grandfather’s secretary gave her and it was very striking. It was simple yet very elegant. It only had one strap and it was fitted in the chest and waist area and then the skirt flowed down her hips and her legs. The light and almost sheer material moved gracefully with every step she took.

Cassia knew that this dress was a traditional Greek design altered to make it look more contemporary. It was
brilliant
! What made it even more beautiful was the brooch encrusted with diamonds and sapphires that was placed on the bodice of her gown.

Also, her make-up was flawless as always. Her eyes looked bigger and more luminous. Her cheekbones and her nose were made to stand out and her face was set to be more angular rather than plump.

Cassia then closed her eyes for a moment and wished with all her heart that the dress, the hair and the make-up would all be enough to make Nikos notice her.

October 6, 2003
The Grand Ballroom
Andrade Shipping International
Athens Greece

“I shall be bringing the papers for the initial proposal for the merger later during the engagement party,” Costas Andrade told Nikos Demakis over the phone.

“Good. Then we can look them over and finalize everything before the wedding in a month.”

“Yes,” came the reply.

“All right. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going. I still have to prepare for my own engagement party,” Nikos said dryly.

His tone did not escape Costas who took it as a chance to spread further lies and start his vengeance both on his granddaughter and the grandson of the man who stole his betrothed.

“Nikos, I have something more to talk to you about.” Costas tried to soften his tone so that it would sound as though he was a concerned grandfather. “Why do you think I offered your grandfather this merger when I was so close to ruining your entire family?” Costas asked in a concerned tone.

Nikos’ hand tightened on the phone and he resisted the urge to hurl it across the room.

“Why?” he asked. His voice was barely a whisper as he tried to restrain his temper.

“My granddaughter likes you,” Costas said in an affectionate tone.

“What?”

“Cassia...she told me so much about you. She told me how she met you at a ball and how you rescued her from a terrible experience. And since that day, she could not stop talking about you anymore. She wanted you and when my granddaughter wants something, I move heaven and earth to give it to her. Please do not break her heart.”

Costas wanted to laugh at himself at how he sounded. Judging from the harsh breathing on the
other line, Nikos was clearly buying it.

“So what are you saying here, Costas?” Nikos asked in a challenging tone. His temper already got the best of him after hearing Costas’ words.

Now, it seemed as if a spoiled little girl had gotten her fancy on him and asked her dear grandfather to get him for her. Instead of looking at it from a point of view wherein Costas’ main agenda was revenge, Nikos now saw that he was a bought husband for a spoiled heiress.

And that fact injured his pride even more.

“All I am saying here is that my granddaughter is smitten with you. And somehow, I err...I apologize for this but...somehow I made it look as though you wanted her too. She’s a great girl. She’ll never agree to an arranged marriage...so...make it look
real
. If my granddaughter sheds a single tear due to you, your family will pay, Demakis,” Costas threatened.

“I hear you,” Nikos replied through clenched teeth.

“Good.”

“If there is nothing else, Costas, I really have to go and prepare for my own engagement party.”

“There’s nothing else. Just remember this conversation Demakis,” Costas finished and then he pressed the button on his phone and ended the call.

As soon as the line went dead, Nikos flew into a rage.

He sat up from his chair and swept his arm across his desk sending all of the things there crashing into the floor. Papers and office supplies scattered everywhere. Glass went all over the carpet as his paperweight shattered.

His secretary entered the room and gasped at the mess she saw.

“Get out!” Nikos growled and the poor woman dashed away.

Right after she shut the door, Nikos collapsed in his chair and placed his head in his hands. He ran his fingers through his hair in both anger and frustration and resisted the compulsion to tug at the black strands.

“He will pay,” Nikos vowed.

He then crossed his room and grabbed a bottle of brandy from the liquor cabinet. He took a hefty swig and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. The liquor burned his throat just as Costas’ words burned his pride.

One day, he promised that Costas too would burn like he did.

“Costas Andrade will pay for this. And so will his spoiled little heiress. I will rebuild Demakis International and repay Costas twice or thrice the price that this merger cost him. As for Cassia, her life will be a living hell married to me.”

Another swig of alcohol and the fire reached his veins just as his anger had pierced his heart.

“I vow this: one day they will
all
pay.”

Costas Andrade’s Limousine
Somewhere in Athens
On the way to Andrade Shipping Corp Headquarters

Costas pushed a button and the privacy partition of the limousine slowly moved upward.

His granddaughter turned towards him and waited for him to start the conversation. Costas pushed another button and it revealed a hidden compartment with crystal glasses and a bottle of champagne. With deft fingers, he uncorked the bottle and poured two glasses.

He handed one to Cassia who took it with much surprise.

First, she did not expect that her grandfather was coming with her to this party. That had actually dampened her mood for she really wanted to have fun with Nikos and to get to know him better tonight.

Second, why were they having champagne? Was there something they should be celebrating?

“Aren’t you the least bit curious as to where we are going?” Costas asked.

“I am, grandfather,” she replied.

“Drink your champagne, girl. I am sure you’d want to be celebrating this with me.” Costas said and then held up his glass in a salute.

Cassia also held up her glass. “What is the special occasion? What are we celebrating?” She asked to humor her grandfather. He wasn’t normally in this kind of mood and she wanted to do everything she could to keep him this amiable.

“Why, your engagement of course,” Costas announced and then laughed heartily and drank his
champagne all in one gulp while Cassia stared at him with her mouth open.

“What?!” Cassia screeched. Then she quickly realized the mistake of her outburst and moved farther from her grandfather.

“Watch your tone with me, girl. And close your mouth or the flies will come in,” Costas taunted.

Cassia took several deep breaths to calm herself.

When she first came to Greece to live with her grandfather, she often felt the back of Costas’ hand for what he called her fiery temper. He always called her an insolent brat who inherited her mother’s ways and hit her because of it. Now, she learned her lesson.

When she deemed that she was calm enough, Cassia spoke:

“What do you mean by saying that we’re celebrating my engagement, grandfather?”

“Exactly that. You are not a stupid girl, are you? I just said that it’s your engagement. It’s as simple as that,” Costas answered with a wry smile.

“And who might the groom be? And how come I do not know that I am about to be engaged?” Cassia snorted.

“Do not use that insolent tone with me, girl. Nikos Demakis asked for your hand in marriage. I think you have made a huge impression on him for he came to me and asked for you. In return, I decided to merge
Demakis Shipping
with our company. Sounds like a great deal,
ne
?” Costas said with amusement twinkling in his eyes.